Pressure ulcer prevention in the OR

Who is at risk?

A number of factors increase risk of perioperative pressure ulcers, including the type of procedure, surgery duration and patient health.

Procedures lasting longer than 3 hours have been shown to substantially increase incidents of damage to skin and underlying tissue.  However, pressure ulcers can even occur during shorter procedures. Studies have shown that high pressure over bony prominences (heels, sacrum) for a short period of time is as damaging as low pressure for a long period of time.3 In one study, the incidence of pressure ulcers in the supine (cardiac and thoracic) and prone (complex spinal) positions in surgical patients was determined to be 16.7% and 10.5%, respectively. 

OR-acquired damage often presents as a deep tissue pressure injury (DTPI) which may not appear until 48 to 72 hours after surgery.  Perioperative pressure ulcers are sometimes confused with an electrical or chemical burn from energy-generating devices or antiseptic prep solutions, which are visible at the end of a surgical procedure.

Mölnlycke’s solution for OR pressure ulcer prevention

Mölnlycke Health Care offers head-to-heel solutions to help prevent pressure ulcers across the continuum of care. Proven Mepilex^® Border dressings are engineered to specifically address the extrinsic factors that contribute to pressure ulcers – pressure, shear, friction and microclimate. Innovative turning and positioning products are uniquely designed to help protect patients by redistributing pressure over a greater surface area and maintain neutral body alignment.

Trust the evidence

Mepilex Border is the proven 5-layer foam prevention dressing with over 70 evidence pieces, including the world’s largest published study  demonstrating the economic benefits of dressings in pressure ulcer prevention. No other dressing has 4 RCTs demonstrating its isolated effectiveness in pressure ulcer prevention.     

Evidence from the University of Virginia Health System demonstrate the effectiveness of Mepilex Border in preventing pressure ulcers during surgery.  

Supine positioning  – ZERO pressure ulcers were observed in 71 supine-positioned thoracic and cardiac patients, compared to a historical rate of 16.7%.

Prone positioning – ZERO pressure ulcers were observed in 104 prone-positioned complex spinal patients when Mepilex Border was placed over the chest and iliac crest prior to placement on a Jackson table. The control group with no dressings suffered 12 ulcers for an incidence rate of 10.5%.